Keeping Fit: Even modest exercise provides health benefits

Tuesday

During the past month, two landmark studies have been published regarding the beneficial effects of exercise on important health factors, including obesity and longevity.

The first study was conducted in the United States by a team of internationally acclaimed exercise physiologists and published in the leading research journal, Medicine and Science In Sports and Exercise.

This study examined the associations among physical activity, diet quality, and weight status in American adults.

The study participants were 4,999 men and women between 20 and 70 years of age. The researchers looked at relationships between exercise and the weight status indicators of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

Across nearly all of the age groups, men and women who exercised above a 3-MET level (equivalent to walking at approximately 2.5 miles per hour) had a more favorable weight status than people who were not physically active.

That is, regular exercises in nearly every age group had significantly better body weight status (lower BMI) and smaller waist circumference than non-exercisers.

The study directors also examined the relationships between diet quality and the weight status indicators of BMI and waist circumference.

Diet quality was determined by means of the Healthy Eating Index developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Diet quality was associated with favorable weight status in only three of the five age groups for men and only one of the five age groups for women.

As important as diet quality is for general health, a strong relationship between eating a desirable diet and maintaining a favorable body mass index was found in only four of the 10 combined age groupings.

The results of this research do not suggest that healthy eating behavior should be taken lightly. However, it would appear from these findings that physical activity has a closer association with desirable body weight than diet quality.

Ideally, we should eat a high-quality diet and perform regular physical activity, including both strength training and endurance exercise. Contrary to the popular misconception, maintaining an ideal body weight may require regular exercise as well as healthy nutrition.

The second study was conducted in Norway by an equally elite group of exercise physiologists and published in the prestigious British Journal of Sports Medicine.

This study actually began in 1971 when almost 15,000 men (born between 1923 and 1932) were assessed for standard risk factors such as total cholesterol, blood pressure, cigarette smoking, body weight, and physical activity.

Recently a 12-year follow-up study with about 6,000 of the original research participants attempted to identify factors associated with reduced risk of premature death.

The results of this long-term research project with older men revealed that those who attained just 30 minutes of physical activity six days a week had a 40 percent reduction in mortality risk.

Additionally, the men who were physically active experienced a five-year longer lifetime than the men who were sedentary.

Perhaps most impressive, even at age 73, men who became more physically active reduced their risk of all-cause mortality.

Finally, the researchers determined that for older men, increased levels of physical activity were as important for survival as quitting smoking.

The results of this study demonstrated that a wide range of diseases may be prevented by performing moderate to vigorous physical activity, even among elderly individuals.

The results of the first study indicated that physical activity is associated with desirable body weight, which may be a major factor in reduced risk of disease and premature death.

However, the exercise-induced improvements in musculoskeletal fitness and cardiovascular health obtained from regular physical activity may be at least as important for preventing or postponing injuries, illnesses, and infirmities that are all too prevalent in inactive older adults.

It appears that even a modest amount of physical activity provides significant health benefits related to both quality and quantity of life.

Wayne L. Westcott, Ph. D., teaches exercise science at Quincy (Massachusetts) College and consults for the South Shore YMCA. He has written 27 books on physical fitness including the best-selling “Strength Training Past 50.”

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